The present invention relates to cardiac imaging, and more particularly, to segmentation of pulmonary arteries, veins, and the left atrial appendage for improved visualization of coronary arteries and bypass arteries.
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) or Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in the world. CAD/CHD is caused by accumulation of plaque in coronary arteries. Eventually such plaque blocks or reduces blood flow to heart muscles. Deprived of oxygen, the myocardium becomes damaged and other heart diseases may develop, as well. A typical early symptom for CAD/CHD is chest pain, which can easily be mistaken for other less serious diseases until a patient experiences a heart attack.
Cardiac computed tomography (CT) is often used for diagnosis and treatment planning for CAD/CHD. In cardiac CT images, not only the heart is imaged, but also surrounding anatomical structures that can block the direct view of the heart in a 3D visualization. Various algorithms have been developed to isolate the heart from surrounding structures, such as the lungs, spine, and sternum, in a 3D CT volume. However, heart structures like the pulmonary arteries, pulmonary veins, and left atrial appendage may still partially occlude the coronary arteries in the isolated heart visualization. Accordingly, it is desirable to remove these three structures so that physicians can more easily visualize the coronary arteries.